Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to subterranean barrier panels and in particular to a method and apparatus for endwise connecting subterranean barrier panels.
Background
In the field of geotechnical engineering it is frequently necessary to physically isolate one area in a soil formation from an adjacent area for a variety of purposes. These purposes may include providing either a temporary or a permanent retaining wall, or may be for the purpose of isolating contaminants in one of those areas of soil from the other. One known method of providing such isolation is to insert successive panels to the soil formation between the two areas so as to form a continuous barrier therebetween.
In some environments, it is frequently necessary to provide such barriers to a height above the height of the conventional sized panels. One solution to such locations is to custom order and to provide panels having heights in excess of conventional panels. It will be appreciated that such panels may be difficult to manufacture and transport to the location where they are required due to the long lengths that may be required.
In applications where steel panels are to be utilized, two successive panels may be welded endwise together to form a longer overall panel. Disadvantageously however, such welding will not be possible with the use of plastic or fiber reinforced plastic panels. Additionally, such welding of the panels along their edge is a time consuming operation required to be performed at the location which may be prone to inconsistency in the weld or may have adverse effects on the metallurgy of the steel panels.